A sense of relief enveloped the Detroit Tigers after their 10-4 victory over visiting Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
That snapped a six-game losing streak and was just their second win in 14 games. Detroit will now open a three-game home series against Arizona, beginning on Monday night.
“It’s a sense of accomplishment,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Obviously, we need a good feeling at the end of the day, we needed it all week. It’s a fun win; it’s a good win.”
The American League Central Division leaders hope it wasn’t just a one-game reprieve.
“It’s not like the end of things,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “It’s not like it’s all good now. We needed to play a clean, good baseball game. But seeing a W in the win column is definitely refreshing. It’s like when you haven’t got a hit in a while and seeing one fall. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”
Right-hander Troy Melton will make his second career start for the Tigers in the series opener. Melton’s debut didn’t go as planned — he gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings at Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Melton’s outing wasn’t a complete washout. He struck out seven and tossed two scoreless innings to finish up his outing.
Melton is being given a chance to earn the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Keider Montero, who had a tenuous hold on that spot, was demoted to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday.
Melton, 24, was Toledo’s top starter this season. He posted a 2.72 ERA in eight games with nine walks and 56 strikeouts across 36 1/3 innings.
“He really needed the challenge up in the big leagues,” Hinch said. “I think we saw, specifically in the back half of his outing, why we’re excited about his present and his future.”
He’ll be opposed by former Tiger Eduardo Rodriguez (3-6, 5.50).
Rodriguez bounced back from two poor outings to toss 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston on Tuesday. Rodriguez surrendered 12 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings in his previous two starts.
Rodriguez believed he could have gone longer Tuesday but he was taken out after getting struck in the leg by a comebacker.
“I feel like that was the best I felt with my fastball all this year,” said Rodriguez, who is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in seven career starts against Detroit.
With the Arizona front office in sell mode heading toward the trade deadline, the on-field product has suffered. The Diamondbacks have lost five of their last six games, including back-to-back shutouts against Pittsburgh heading into this series.
The offense has produced just eight runs during the six-game span.
“Those things are natural,” outfielder Corbin Carroll said of the distractions caused by the trade deadline. “Our coaches did a good job of trying to prevent something like that from happening, but I think stuff like that can creep in. I think it’s also a little bit the nature of where some of the hitters, including myself, are at. Just a product of a couple of things.”
Third baseman Eugenio Suarez could have an eventful week. He’s one of the biggest names on the trade market and the Tigers could be one of his suitors.
–Field Level Media
